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tomber des nues. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
tomber des nues, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
tomber des nues in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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French
Etymology
Literally, “to fall from the clouds”. nues is not the adjective meaning "naked", but an old French noun meaning "cloud" (cf. nuage). Compare Italian cadere dalle nuvole, Spanish caer de las nubes, German aus allen Wolken fallen.
Pronunciation
Verb
tomber des nues
- (intransitive) to be flabbergasted
- Synonyms: halluciner, tomber à la renverse, être sur le cul, être sidéré, être abasourdi, être bouche bée
2009, Sylvie Brunel, Manuel de guérilla à l'usage des femmes, →ISBN, page 45:Quand ma mère s’est sentie obligée, à contrecœur, de m’expliquer comment on faisait les bébés, parce que ma puberté naissante rendait cet impératif inévitable, je suis tombée des nues. Jusque-là, rien ne m’avait encouragée à chercher plus loin que la vague explication qu’on donnait alors aux enfants […]- When my mother felt compelled – reluctantly – to explain to me how babies were made, because my burgeoning puberty had made it indispensable to do so, I was flabbergasted. Until then, nothing had pushed me to look beyond the vague explanation given to children
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